The race to gain land was a frivolous one, but in the end it reaped rewards for some countries, and brought misery to others. Missionaries sought to Christianize the peoples of Africa, and civilize the non-western inhabitants. Africa is rich in natural resources, such as gold, diamonds, copper, tin, peanuts, palm oil, cocoa, and rubber; not to mention the wealth in slaves and low-cost laborers. Europeans probably would’ve been colonizing Africa much sooner, if it hadn’t been so difficult to explore. With the invention of the steam engi

ne, boats became powerful enough to navigate the treacherous rivers of Africa. In 1859 the Suez Canal, built by the French, greatly reduced the distance of the voyage from Europe to Africa. This canal became known as the British Lifeline.

Many European explorers went out to make discoveries in Africa, and make a name for them selves. One such explorer was James Bruce, who reached the source of the Blue Nile in 1770. Another, Henry Stanley, trekked from the East African coast to the source of the Congo. He set up treaties with the locals and Belgium to start settlements and exploit the mineral wealth. Alexandrine Tinne, the most famous female explorer, went up the Nile in boats to find its source. An ambitious explorer, Cecil Rhodes, once the Prime Minister of Cape Colony, was determined to build a “Cape to Cairo” railroad, to link the British outposts. Needless to say, his plan was abolished.

There are various ways countries chose to rule over their African colonies, most of which are forms of Direct Rule. A colony governed under Direct Rule is completely controlled by the European nation that claimed it as its own, its African leaders are replaced by appointed officials, and traditional forms of government are cast aside to suit the needs of its parent nation. Many Europeans are racist, and believe that Africans are incapab

Some topics in this essay:
Imperialism Africa, Imperialism Europeans, Direct Rule, Indirect Rule, Cape Colony, French Africans, Africa Boers, Boer Wars, East African, British French, incident occurred, imperialism africa, direct rule,